FOUR BIBLICAL TRUTHS ABOUT HEALTH - PART 2
TRUSTING GOD FOR OUR HEALTH
This is part two. If you haven't read the first post, I would encourage you to do so before reading this one. It can be found here.
GOD’S DESIRE FOR YOU
3 John 1:2 - Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, even as your soul is well.
Some may suggest this verse was written specifically to Gaius, but we must remember that God's Word was written to all of us. God is not a respecter of persons and wants all of us to share in what He has provided for us.
Acts 10:34 - Then Peter began to speak, saying, “Truthfully, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.
Romans 2:11 - for there is no partiality with God.
It is interesting to me how many times people would rather find an excuse not to believe God for health than to look at His Word and trust Him. We would be better off to do that and leave some of the questions and “what-ifs” up to Him. It is also curious that some ministers would instead encourage unbelief in health than be silent and let those who want to pursue this do so.
I am not so interested in the questions or what-ifs. I look at the example of Jesus, and I see that every person that came to Christ asking for healing received. Look at this example from Mark.
Mark 1:40 - A leper came to Him, pleading with Him and kneeling before Him, saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Interesting, there was no question of ability, but there was a question of willingness. Would Jesus desire to do this? Remember, Jesus came to do the will of His Father.
Hebrews 10:7 – Jesus - I have come to do Your will, O God
Everything Jesus did for needy humanity during His earthly ministry was a direct revelation of the perfect will of God for humanity.
Many today say, "I believe in healing, but I do not believe it is for everyone." If it is not for everyone, then how could we ever pray the prayer of faith?
This man wondered not whether Jesus could heal but whether Jesus desired to heal him. Mark 1:41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, extended His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I will. Be clean.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, the leprosy immediately departed from him, and he was cleansed.
Jesus silenced the question of His willingness by reaching out, touching, and healing this man. We see other similar examples throughout the ministry of Christ.
Matthew 12:15 - But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great crowds followed Him, and He healed them all,
Matthew 14:36 - and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.
Now go back to our first verse, 3 John 1:2. In it, there are three particular promises that are available to us:
1. Health of body;
2. Prosperity in secular affairs.
3. Health of the soul
We should notice that they are not automatic. We sometimes forget in God's Word we find conditions. Notice, the health of the body and prosperity are directly related to the health of the soul. You can't have one without the other. Our focus should be our relationship with God. As our soul is built up in Him, the by-product is the health of our body and the success in life.
GOD’S PROTECTION UPON YOU
As a believer, God’s hand of protection is upon you when you walk in faith and trust in Him.
1 John 1:4 - You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Psalm 91:1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall find protection; His faithfulness shall be your shield and wall. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; 6 nor of the pestilence that pursues in darkness, nor of the destruction that strikes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling, 10 there shall be no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your tent; 11 for He shall give His angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways. 12 They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
There is no need to fear any of the things we see happening in our world. Why? Because God is watching over us. Indeed, we do the best we can, but so many things are out of our control. Besides, God doesn't expect us to control everything, He will watch over us; we just need to trust Him. Think about these next couple verses.
Mark 16:15 - He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Acts 28:5 – Paul was gathering fire wood… (poisonous serpent latched onto his arm)… people there thought that Paul was a murderer and were waiting for him to die (this was his payment). They waited for him to swell up and die. Paul just shook it off and suffered no harm.
God does not expect us to go around and handle poisonous snakes. But God is our protection in an evil and corrupt world.
I am all for taking care of yourself the best you can, doing what you can naturally to build up and take care of the house that God has given you. Paul told Timothy – take a little wine for the stomach Sure, do the best you can. But the best is to trust God.
I can’t control the quality of the air. I can’t control all the things they are putting in the foods I eat. I can’t control the effects of what many others might do in this world. I might face things that would naturally come against my health and want to destroy me.
But I trust Him to protect me. I trust that if the air I am breathing is harmful, it won’t impact me. I trust that if the foods I eat have been modified that God will protect me. I trust that some virus going around won't hurt me; I don’t need to worry about it because greater is He in me than He in the world.
Let me also say. This is going to be something that we need to grow in as the days move on.
GOD’s WORD OUR RESOURCE FOR HEALTH
Here is something very practical. God has given us a resource for our physical and even mental health. His Word!
Psalm 107:20 - He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destruction.
John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life.
Proverbs 4:10 - Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many.
Proverbs 3:1-2 - My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and long life and peace will they add to you.
A favorite verse that speaks to so much of this and something we should practice each day can be found in chapter 4 of Proverbs.
Proverbs 4:23-24 My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their body.
Proverbs 4 gives us perfect, yet practical, application of scripture to our lives. It gives us instruction on how to appropriate and take God's medicine so that we can walk in health and strength.
There are four instructions God gives to us:
1-Give attention to my words
2-Incline your ear to my sayings
3-Do not let them depart from your eyes
4-Keep them in the midst of your heart
Here is a brief description of each.
Give Attention to My Words: in order words, give undivided attention to God’s Word, focus on it, don't get distracted by what is going on around you. Set your attention on the Word of God.
Incline Your Ear: the phrase means to bow down your ear. It is bending your ear down to listen in an attitude of humility. To be teachable and be prepared to listen to what God's Word says.
Do Not Let It Depart from your Eyes: Again, focus on the Word of God. Don’t look partly at the Bible and partly at other things. Don't look at everything else that is happening around you, but shut yourself in with what God says in His Word.
Keep Them In Midst of Your Heart: Let what God says in His Word get into the midst of your being. Hold fast too it. Memorize it. Meditate on it. Guard your heart with it. The Bible says, what is in your heart will determine the course of your life. – Proverbs 4:24 - Guard Your Heart.
Note: You cannot have the wrong thing in your life and live right, You cannot have the right thing in your life and live wrong.
Again, it really comes back to 3 John 1:2 - As your soul prospers, you will find that your health prospers as well. The Word of God is a resource of health that He has given to us. As we do what it says, as we take His medicine, He will keep us in health and strength.
CLOSING
Yes, we live in a corrupt and evil world, but God is our source and strength, and we, you, can trust Him to sustain you today.
Paul's Thorn In The Flesh
Many struggle with the idea that they have to suffer with sickness and disease because this is their thorn in the flesh. But what was Paul's Thorn? Was it sickness? What is the reason for the thorn in the flesh? Read and find out as Pastor Chad goes through the text from 2 Corinthians 12 and explains this passage in detail.
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